Travel News

There are seven airlines with scheduled flights from Europe to Nigeria.

SUMMARY

•  Nigeria has scheduled flights from 12 intercontinental destinations, with nearly 40% of flights from Europe.
•  British Airways is the top European carrier to Nigeria, followed by Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, and Air France.
•  Virgin Atlantic and KLM are also among the airlines serving Nigeria, with different flight frequencies from Europe.

This summer, Nigeria has scheduled non-stop flights from 12 intercontinental destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Asia. While its two main airports are among the most expensive to fly to, they are also among the busiest on the continent. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, nearly 40% of Nigeria's intercontinental flights are from Europe.

The country's largest carrier, Air Peace, is the latest airline to schedule flights to Europe. It will start serving London Gatwick (LGW) from Lagos on March 30, initially with Norse Atlantic's Boeing 787s after signing an ACMI agreement earlier this week. There are six other airlines with scheduled passenger flights between Europe and Nigeria. Let's take a look at the top carriers and routes.

British Airways is the top European carrier in Nigeria

British Airways is the top carrier between Europe and Nigeria this summer (April-October), with 420 scheduled flights and 103,110 seats (one-way). The carrier serves Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS) and Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (ABV) from London Heathrow (LHR). It has 210 flights and 53,760 seats to Lagos and 210 flights and 49,350 seats to Abuja.

Photo: Sudpoth Sirirattanasakul | Shutterstock

Lagos is served daily with the Boeing 787-10, while Abuja is served daily with the B777-200. In terms of its Africa network, Nigeria is British Airways' fourth-most popular destination by number of flights after South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt. Through its main fleet and subsidiary, BA Euroflyer, it serves two destinations in each of the top four countries.

British travelers can now seamlessly connect to more destinations in Southern Africa.

Three other airlines serving Lagos and Abuja

With a total of 360 flights and 102,245 seats, Turkish Airlines is the second-largest European carrier to Nigeria this summer. It has scheduled 210 flights and 59,520 from Istanbul to Lagos and 150 flights and 42,725 seats from Istanbul to Abuja. It operates daily flights to Lagos and five weekly to Abuja with the Airbus A330-200 and A330-300.

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

Lufthansa is the third top carrier from Europe, with 308 flights and 83,148 seats. It also serves Nigeria's two primary airports, operating flights from its hub at Frankfurt Airport (FRA). Abuja is its top Nigerian destination this summer with 162 flights and 45,198 seats, followed by Lagos with 146 flights and 37,950 seats. Abuja sees the A340, while Lagos sees both the A340 and A330.

Check out more African aviation news here

The fourth and final European carrier serving Nigeria's two main airports is Air France. It has a total of 270 scheduled flights, offering 81,448 seats to the West African country. There are 210 flights and 68,008 seats on the Paris-Lagos route and 60 flights and 13,440 seats on the Paris-Abuja route. Lagos will be served with the A350-900, while Abuja is served with the A330-200.

Virgin Atlantic and KLM

Virgin Atlantic is the third airline flying between Nigeria and the UK this summer. It is also the fifth top airline between Europe and Nigeria, with 210 flights and 68,220 seats. It currently operates daily flights from Heathrow to Lagos with the A350-1000. Meanwhile, Air Peace will be the only airline flying between Gatwick and Lagos.

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

The sixth top airline for Europe-Nigeria flights is the Dutch national carrier KLM. It has 176 scheduled flights and 46,464 seats on its route from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Lagos. It currently operates six weekly flights with the A330-200. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recently reopened Lagos' main runway for international flights. The airport is currently served by about 29 airlines.